The Week Before School
by dreaminghour
Summary: Remus Lupin has one week to settle in and get used to the school again before the students come rushing in, and he begins to teach. These are his encounters. Please R&R! ;; May not continue this, if you like it, tell me!


Monday Part I  
Ten Days Before School

"This is most utterly ridiculous!" There was a crash heard in the teacher's lounge, and Professor Lupin rushed from his casual stroll to open the door. Inside, Professor Trelawney was rubbing her eyes, under buggy glasses, and slouching over a book. On the floor lay a smashed pink tea cup, flecks of tea dregs on some of the shards.

Professor Lupin half opened his mouth, about to ask what had happened, but was spared the effort.

"The guide! The dammed guide! Why do my students need to learn how to read Muggle tea leaves!?" She flipped back to the beginning of the thin tome. "Indian tea, Chinese tea, Japanese tea, African tea, Irish tea, Italian tea, Greek tea-" She stopped. "The Muggles just don't do it the same!"

Lupin closed the door and crouched down to start picking up the pieces. Trelawney looked at him and sighed.

"Thank you, Professor Lupin." She said.

He stood up and placed the cup in full repair back on the table. He waved his hand nonchalantly, and sat down.

"It was nothing." He said. "Please, call me Remus."

Trelawney nodded. She stuck out her hand across the table, and shook his. "We haven't properly met yet, but I've sensed a good aura about you. You may call me Sibyll."

Remus cleared his throat. "What brings you down from the North Tower? I've only once seen you since I've arrived here."

"Renovation." She said airily. "The constructors are up there and clouding my inner eye. So I have temporarily moved into the Teachers Lounge."

"Ah, I see." Said Remus. He folded his hands together and began to twiddle his thumbs, and look aimlessly around the room.

Sybill looked at Remus suspiciously. He caught her glance coming around the room and stopped guiltily.

"You . . ." She paused, "What experience do you have with Muggle tea reading?"

Remus thought a moment. "None." Sibyll looked doubtful. "I mean, I would probably go about reading it the same way as I would any other type of tea." She narrowed her eyes.

Remus gulped, and said quietly, "Could you perhaps pour me a cup?"

Sibyll quickly got up and whisked to the cupboard. She pulled out a cup and saucer and floated the kettle to the table. She pulled out a little bag and tore it open, dumping its contents in his cup. She came to the table and sat down. She dumped similar contents into her cup and poured hot water into both. She slid his across the table to him.

Remus blinked precautiously down at it. "Is that tea?" He asked.

Sibyll swished the amber drink around in her cup. "You can let it steep as long as you want, it won't ruin the tea. Bitterness might actually be good for it." She sipped carefully from the cup.

He drank hesitantly from his own cup, and discovering it to be not all that bad, he drank it quickly, swirled it and stood it upside down on his saucer. Sibyll finished hers a moment later and did the same. Then, they waited a moment.

"Now, I think." Sibyll said. She picked her cup up and handed it to Remus, and took his.

Remus looked idly at the dregs that sat at the bottom of the pink cup, and Sibyll looked with fascination into Remus' cup. She gasped.

"What does it say?" Remus asked, almost afraid of the answer.

"It says that you will meet with an old acquaintance, and attempt to make amends an old wrong and-" She turned the cup slightly, "No. Your efforts will have no avail." She looked at him with a pitying face.

"Your-Your cup," He said, finding it hard to evade her eye, "Your cup says you will-" He paused and looked at her cup curiously, "You will fall in love."

"Really? That's all?" She frowned, "That's rather dissapointing." She somehow managed to snatch the cup from him gently and without much fuss.

"I'm not sure." She said, "I don't think that the muggle tea can be just as acurate as wizard tea." She frowned gloomily into her cup. "There must be something else..." She turned the cup and angled it, looking for even an ounce of doom in the dregs

"You know," Said Remus tentatively. "I think they're the same. I don't think there is a difference in how you should read them."

"But," Sibyll slapped the book closed, and held it out for Remus to try and look at its cover. "The Ministry wants me to teach it." Remus took the book from her and looked at it.

"Just let your students know that you would read them the same way as any other tea." He handed it back to her, and handed her his saucer as well.

"Well." She said, and looked back at the dregs.

"By Ministry Standards, your doing all you really need to do." He pushed back from the table and stood up. "Thank you very much for a great cup of tea, Professor." He stretched out his hand to shake hers again.

Sibyll stood up hurridly and smiled as she shook his hand, "Do call me Sibyll." She said, and adjusted her glasses.

"Alright," Remus said, nodding his head politely.

"And don't give up on your friend, I'm sure they'll come around." She gave him a concerned look, "We'll be speaking again soon."

Remus gave a small smile, and opened the door, "Until then. Sibyll." He closed the door gently and started off a slow walk and almost bumped into someone.

"Hello Severus." Remus said smiling, stopping and inviting conversation.

"Hello Lupin," Severus said, continuing to walk, "Unfortunately, we don't all have nothing to do." He looked over his shoulder.

"And, please, call me Professor Snape."

Remus stood still, and with a sigh stuck his hands in his pockets and walked on.


End file.
